Conventional beds in the United States typically include a bed frame that supports a box spring and a mattress. The bed frame can be a simple metal frame or a more substantial piece of furniture. Platform beds and other types of bedroom furniture are typically heavy and bulky and are difficult to move and assemble without professional assistance. Simple metal bed frames typically includes two side rails connected by a plurality of cross bars. The box spring typically rests on wooden slats that span between the side rails. While the cross bars may include multiple overlapping pieces, each side rail of a conventional metal frame is a single piece of metal about as long as the box spring and mattress that are to be supported in order to maintain stability. The side rails and cross bars are usually formed from elongated pieces of steel having an L-shaped cross-section (also called angle iron). A horizontal flange of each side rail supports the box spring, and a vertical flange prevents each side rail from bending under the weight of the box spring, the mattress and the occupants of the bed. Thick metal is used to provide structural integrity to the side rails, rending them heavy, long and awkward.
Moving and assembling conventional beds is cumbersome because multiple tools and many non-intuitive steps are typically involved. Another shortcoming of conventional beds is the relatively heavy weight of the wood of the furniture-type beds and of the thick steel of the metal bed frames. The heavy weight results in higher shipping costs and difficulty of assembly.
Thus, a bed is sought that overcomes the shortcomings of conventional beds, such as the long length of the side rails, the heavy weight of the wood and steel components and the complicated assembly that requires multiple tools. The bed should be compact, light weight and easily assembled.